Sure enough, after hearing Jiang Fei say that he had disappeared today because he went to see the Lion King, the slight suspicion in Liu Yunduo’s heart immediately vanished.
She wasn’t stupid. Jiang Fei had suddenly vanished today without explaining why, and Jiang Fei didn’t have any acquaintances in the island nation. The only possibility was that he had gone behind her back to see Yagyu Munenori. And as for what Jiang Fei’s purpose was in going to see Yagyu Munenori, there was no need to guess—it was definitely because she was about to challenge him.
In this duel, Yagyu Munenori was unwilling to lose, because at this moment he represented the dignity of the entire island nation’s swordsmanship world. He would not allow himself to give up the swordsmanship he had pursued all his life out of fear of death or for any other reason.
Wasn’t Liu Yunduo in the same boat?
She wanted to win, but she absolutely did not want to win by unfair means. This was her avenging her father, seeking justice for her father’s wrongful death back then. Only by openly and honorably defeating everyone and crushing the island nation’s swordsmanship would she be able to righteously declare her purpose.
Otherwise, a victory won through others’ help would be something Liu Yunduo’s own heart could not get past, and this trip to the island nation would have completely lost its meaning.
“Master Qinglong did indeed tell me about Senior Lion King. It was one time when he was very drunk and recalled the events of back then with my father. He mentioned Senior Lion King and the four of you, the ‘Four Kings of China.’ He also said that was the happiest time of his life. Unfortunately, later he encountered the love tribulation he could not escape or avoid, and because of his faults and reasons, the Four Kings of China disbanded. He also feels very sorry toward Senior Lion King and the rest of you…” Liu Yunduo said seriously, looking at Qinglong with great respect.
“It seems that guy still has a bit of conscience and knows that what happened back then was his fault. If it weren’t for him, how would the four of us have ended up in the state we’re in now?” the Lion King said, shaking his head. But there was no anger or complaint left on his face—only a relieved smile.
So many years had passed since the events of back then. At the time, he might have been furious beyond measure, wishing he could drag Qinglong out for a fight, but now he had long since let it go. At most, he would quietly wonder whether they could reconcile.
Liu Yunduo nodded and said, “Master Qinglong has actually felt guilty toward Senior Lion King and the others all these years. Especially toward Senior Tiger King. But he’s just too embarrassed to go see you all again…”
“He’s embarrassed? He just can’t let go of his love tribulation!” The Lion King waved his hand and said with a smile, “All right, little girl, you don’t need to explain anything on that guy’s behalf. I don’t blame him anymore. And besides, you didn’t know, did you? Today, Jiang Fei and I already went to see him…”
“See him?” Liu Yunduo didn’t react at first. Then her eyes froze, and she stared wide-eyed as she asked uncertainly, “Senior Lion King, you mean you and Jiang Fei went to see Master Qinglong today? In the island nation?”
The Lion King nodded with a smile.
Jiang Fei also said, “Yes, we saw him.”
“Where? Where is Master Qinglong?” Liu Yunduo, now certain of the news, was very surprised and asked hurriedly.
Jiang Fei smiled and shrugged without speaking. Today was the first time he had met Qinglong, and their relationship was not close. He was not in a good position to comment on this matter. He didn’t know what should or shouldn’t be said, so it was better to let the Lion King answer.
“He’s already left. But I don’t know whether he’ll continue touring around the island nation or leave directly, wandering the world from now on, envying only mandarin ducks and not immortals,” the Lion King said with a touch of teasing and a bit of helplessness in his tone.
Qinglong’s original purpose in coming to the island nation was the same as Jiang Fei’s and Su Mengnan’s—he was worried about Liu Yunduo going east alone and having no one to help her if she lost while challenging the major sword schools in the island nation. Now that Jiang Fei was by Liu Yunduo’s side, he naturally no longer needed to worry. Having found Aoki Yuxue, he would definitely leave directly.
Seeing Liu Yunduo looking completely bewildered, the Lion King gave a clearer hint and said, “Your master Qinglong’s love tribulation has now been resolved. Aoki Yuxue is not dead. The two of them have already reunited today. I expect this guy will no longer need to live in seclusion at the foot of Mount Lu, playing the part of an unknown wildgrass Daoist.”
“Really?” Liu Yunduo was overjoyed at the news and very happy for Qinglong.
Qinglong had never formally taken her as a disciple, but the reality of their master-disciple relationship could not be erased. Qinglong’s kindness to Liu Yunduo was no less than that of a second parent. If not for Qinglong, even if Jiang Fei could heal her right arm, her strength would not have advanced so rapidly, and she would not have gained combat power no weaker than a Danjin-level expert. She also would not have been able to come to the island nation so quickly to avenge her father.
Now that Qinglong could find Aoki Yuxue and have such a good ending, she was naturally happy for him from the bottom of her heart.
Seeing how happy Liu Yunduo was, the Lion King could not help shaking his head and said, “Little girl, I think you should stop being happy for others right now. You need to think carefully about the upcoming duel between you and Yagyu Munenori. This matter will be much more difficult than you imagine.”
Along the way, Jiang Fei had already roughly told the Lion King about Liu Yunduo’s deeds. Regardless of the friendship between Liu Yunduo’s father and them back then, just Liu Yunduo’s spirit and ambition alone—her goal of crushing the island nation’s swordsmanship world—made the Lion King greatly admire her.
The Lion King most appreciated young juniors with such ambition.
“I know. I have never thought that challenging Yagyu Munenori, the number one man in the island nation’s swordsmanship world and a contemporary sword master, would be an easy thing. But… I have confidence!” Liu Yunduo answered seriously.
“The number one man in the island nation’s swordsmanship world? That’s just what the outside world says,” the Lion King said with a smile. But then, thinking of the many things that had happened today, he said with a strange expression, “But looking at it now, he really is the number one man in the island nation’s swordsmanship world!”
Tsukahara Bokuden was dead, and Yagyu Munenori had broken through, with half a foot already in the Xiantian realm. He was unquestionably the number one man, and no one else could possibly be his match.
“I heard from Jiang Fei that you’ve already defeated Uesugi Ise of the Daito-ryu Aiki Jujutsu and Chiba Jujiro of the Hokushin Itto-ryu. Especially Chiba Jujiro—I heard his cultivation had already entered the Danjin level, which shows that you truly possess the strength of a Danjin expert. Under previous circumstances, you would indeed have been qualified to fight Yagyu Munenori. But the situation changed today, and this time you basically have no chance of winning.”
The Lion King was straightforward by nature, direct and blunt. He spoke cleanly and without beating around the bush, looking Liu Yunduo in the eye and speaking frankly.
“Why?” Liu Yunduo asked in a low voice.
“Because that bastard Yagyu Munenori got lucky today—his cultivation actually broke through, and he has one foot in the Xiantian realm that countless people dream of! What a Xiantian-level expert represents, I’m sure I don’t need to explain for you to understand. Even I can now only be suppressed by Yagyu Munenori. With a gap in strength between him and me, you’re even further away from him,” the Lion King sighed and said with some displeasure.
Being left behind by Qinglong was one thing, but now Yagyu Munenori had also entered the Xiantian realm while he himself was still stuck firmly at the Danjin level and could not advance. The Lion King felt somewhat humiliated.
“Yagyu Munenori… entered the Xiantian realm?!”
Liu Yunduo was not as panicked as one might have expected. Her expression and eyes were just like her usual elegant, quiet demeanor—the kind of girl who liked wearing embroidered shoes. At the same time, her eyes showed no sign of becoming dispirited or losing the will to fight upon hearing that Yagyu Munenori had entered the Xiantian realm.
She merely narrowed her autumn-water-like eyes slightly, and then her gaze became incomparably resolute as she said, “Even if Yagyu Munenori has already entered the Xiantian realm, I will still fight him! Even if the outcome of this battle is already destined to be a loss, I still want to understand exactly how big the gap between him and me is. Only after I go back will I know to what level I must cultivate before I set foot on the island nation’s soil again!”
“Well said!” The Lion King laughed heartily twice upon hearing this, expressing his approval.
Retreating without fighting had never been the spirit of Chinese martial arts.
That Yagyu Munenori had the dignity of the island nation’s swordsmanship world—better to die standing than live kneeling—did that mean we Chinese had no martial spirit?
Jiang Fei also nodded.
Although he was sometimes a bit lacking in integrity—he liked to do things simply and directly, only doing things he was sure about, and absolutely never doing things he knew had not even the slightest chance of success—that did not mean he did not appreciate this unyielding spirit.
This was the Liu Yunduo he knew!
Only Su Mengnan was grumbling unhappily in his heart: What the hell is the Xiantian realm? Is this little Japanese devil going to ascend and become an immortal or something? Damn, this guy’s luck is really good. He couldn’t break through sooner or later, but he breaks through now of all times—what the hell! I was still thinking the alliance leader could sweep through the island nation’s swordsmanship world in one go, but now it looks impossible.
On the fourth day after Brahma and Tsukahara Bokuden died, Liu Yunduo formally challenged Yagyu Munenori.
If she had not met Jiang Fei, Qinglong, and the others beforehand, and if that shocking great battle on the mountainside of Mount Fuji had not occurred, Yagyu Munenori might not have accepted Liu Yunduo’s challenge at all. Even if he had not been killed by Tsukahara Bokuden, he would have quietly gone into seclusion to wait for his half-year agreement with Jiang Fei, with no energy to deal with this kind of duel.
Now that he had learned of Liu Yunduo’s news and already represented the dignity of the entire island nation’s swordsmanship world, he was duty-bound to step forward.
The location of the duel was an ordinary dojo of the Iai Battōjutsu school at the foot of Mount Fuji.
This time, it was no longer like the lonely duel of experts between Jiang Fei, Qinglong, Tsukahara Bokuden, and a scant few others—a few people fighting earth-shaking battles in the mountains with no one knowing and no spectators.
This time, one day before the duel was to begin, experts from many islands of the island nation had already arrived one after another. Then, several hours before it started, the dojo was already packed to capacity, crowded with people. Everywhere were experts from the island nation’s swordsmanship world, come to watch this battle concerning the honor of the island nation’s swordsmanship world.
Liu Yunduo had defeated two of the most renowned swordsmanship experts in the island nation’s swordsmanship world in succession. Now everyone recognized that the only one left who could stop Liu Yunduo was Yagyu Munenori alone. They were all pinning their hopes on Yagyu Munenori, hoping he could guard the last dignity of the island nation’s swordsmanship world and defend its honor.
If in the end Liu Yunduo, this young girl, really did sweep through the island nation’s swordsmanship world, then they swordsmen would truly be utterly disgraced. They probably would not be able to hold their heads up for many years, and no island nation swordsman would ever again dare to swagger and boast, considering themselves so great and looking down on China’s current swordsmanship.
Therefore, even though rumors were now running rampant in the island nation’s jianghu about Yagyu Munenori—many people saying he was actually already finished, that when he went to China half a year ago he had lost utterly, almost dying in China just like Miyamoto Kazuma—they all still chose to believe in Yagyu Munenori, feeling that this number one sword master could revive his former glory and defeat Liu Yunduo.
“Yagyu Munenori should win, right?” someone asked.
“Of course. Do you not understand what the two words ‘sword master’ mean? These two words will be written into the history of our island nation’s swordsmanship world! How could such an expert fail to defeat a little Chinese girl?!” someone answered.
“But… I heard that Chiba Jujiro of the Hokushin Itto-ryu actually already had the strength worthy of being titled a sword master. Didn’t he also lose?”
“Bullshit! What does Chiba Jujiro amount to…”
The person was about to refute without thinking, but then he saw someone nearby who had heard their conversation immediately turn around and cast a deep, malicious look at them. From the clothes they wore, he knew they were from the Hokushin Itto-ryu. He immediately shut his mouth and quickly changed his tune. “Of course Chiba Jujiro is also very powerful. But even if he could already be titled a sword master, there is still a gap between him and the long-famous sword master Yagyu Munenori.”
Hearing the man change his tune, the Hokushin Itto-ryu disciples unhappily turned their gazes away.
That Chiba Jujiro’s strength was inferior to Yagyu Munenori was indeed beyond doubt.
The man also secretly let out a breath of relief. After waiting a moment, he lowered his voice: “Hmph, Chiba Jujiro’s match was nothing special. Just watch. I think this little Chinese girl probably won’t even be able to receive Yagyu Munenori’s first opening strike! Iai Battōjutsu—do you think that’s just an empty name? As for the current rumor that Yagyu Munenori lost to a guy named Jiang Fei in China, I think that’s completely fabricated!”
“All right. Then let’s watch.”
Tap, tap, tap!
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Yagyu Munenori—wearing a loose kimono robe, still with his chest exposed and long hair flying—stepped slowly onto the stage in wooden clogs.
Liu Yunduo, wearing embroidered shoes and with a somewhat slender figure, also walked onto the stage.
Liu Yunduo was still holding a long sword in one hand—a two-handed sword. This was not surprising.
What was surprising was that at Yagyu Munenori’s waist, there was actually a long tachi tucked in!
You see, Yagyu Munenori had long since reached the level where no sword was better than having a sword. The fact that he had now brought a weapon meant that he regarded this duel very seriously and would not go easy.
The two did not exchange much pointless talk, nor did they show off. Both gripped their sword hilts, pressed down slightly, nodded to each other, and bowed slightly at the waist to show respect.
Then they drew their swords!
